I just wanted to dedicate a thread to all the awesome developers out there that were lost or bought and dismantled. My shout outs are...
Bullfrog Productions - I really wish there would be another Magic Carpet. The game had strategy and action mixed to perfection. I also enjoyed Theme Park and Syndicate. I should have played Dungeon Keeper but I never did. They were of course bought out by EA and then dismantled.
Westwood Studios- I was a Westwood fan before eventually migrating towards Blizzard. C&C was classic and it went toe to toe against whatever Blizzard could put out. Red Alert was probably the peak of what they could accomplish. Some of the best gaming memories I have were playing modem games against my friends with their first two titles. Another developer that would be bought out by EA and dismantled. C&C series never could compete against Blizzard after they were sold.
Criterion Games - Last swong song was a late NFS port on the Wii U. This was actually the first EA game I've bought in over a decade. Founders made a new studio and are working on a title with throw backs to Burnout.
Maxis - Had a blast back in the day with the with the first few SimCity. I even bought SimFarm and thought about buying other Sim games. They would eventually become another victim of EA.
Midway Games - Ms. Pac-Man, MK, NBA Jam, NFL Blitz...
Acclaim- MK, NBA Jam, Burnout...
3D Realms - Duke Nukem 3D and then Duke Nukem took Forever. Played Duke Nukem 3D so much and always dreamed of playing it online through TEN (Total Entertainment Network) which I never did because it cost a monthly fee. Had tons of fun playing it 1 on 1 modem with friends though. I even designed a lot of levels myself and was so good at the editor that I memorized the numbers for a lot of the art associated with the game. This would be the last game that I actually put effort into the level editor. Perhaps Super Mario Maker will bring me back to my level designing days.
Dynamix - Made one of my favorite WW1 fighter games Red Baron (shows age way too much now but I loved it back in the day). They also made Tribes which was way ahead of its time for an online FPS. It allowed up to 20 or so people to play at the same time on a level. This was back in the 56k modem days... I was lucky to have an ISDN connection which allowed a sever advantage over almost everyone else rocking a 56k. I believe this game is what led to the formation of Halo. This game had bases, vechicles, option to choose light, medium and heavy armor, and many more innovations in the FPS industry.
I know there are plenty other studios which are defunct that deserve respect. So please share your thoughts of lost studios that you wish were still around. I'll add a poll eventually with more suggestions.
